This invention relates to the Internet, and more particularly, to techniques for providing television program guide information and services to a user over the Internet.
A large number of television channels are available over cable television systems and satellite television systems. Television viewers have traditionally had to consult preprinted television program listings to determine which programs were scheduled to be broadcast on a particular day. More recently, television-based program guides have been developed that allow television viewers to view television program listings directly on their television sets.
For example, the Prevue® channel is a scrolling television program listings service that a cable system operator may make available to subscribers over a dedicated cable channel. Viewers can tune to the appropriate television channel to view program listings for television programs that are currently being broadcast and are scheduled to be broadcast in the next few hours. Although the Prevue® channel is a valuable service, the viewer is somewhat constrained by the passive nature of the service. For example, the viewer cannot view television listings for the next day or week.
As a result, more advanced television program guide services have been developed that allow the service provider to deliver television program listing data to the user's set-top box. The data is typically delivered over the television cable system infrastructure (e.g., on a given television channel during the vertical blanking interval or over an out-of band channel.) Software in the set-top box allows the viewer to display the television, program listings on the viewer's television set.
These program guide services allow the user to manipulate the television listings by searching or sorting through the listings using criteria such as genre, channel, and broadcast time. An example of a such an interactive television program guide is the Prevue Express® guide of Prevue Networks, Inc. of Tulsa, Okla., the assignee of the present invention.
Although passive scrolling guides and interactive set-top box guides are useful sources of television program guide information, millions of users with personal computers have not been able to obtain on-line television program listings. In addition, users have not been able to select from diverse options that allow the user to view promotional video clips, interview segments, audio clips, and other multimedia material related to a given television program.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a television program guide system that provides television program listings from a server to a user's multimedia system over an Internet communications link.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a television program guide system that allows users to click on text or still images to view promotional video clips, audio clips, interview segments, and other multimedia material related to a given television program.